Your First Appointment

You have made your first appointment to get professional help and you are not sure what to do or what to expect. Don t worry, everybody feels just about the same way, you are in great company. The best advice anyone can give you is to take a deep breath and prepare yourself like you are going to an important meeting. Decide what you d like to talk about and what you want accomplish from your first session and forward. Here are three steps to help you through the process.

First, have a few questions to ask and a pick several topics you would like to talk about, its ok to make a list.

Here are a few questions you may want to ask.

• What type(s) of therapy do you like to use with your clients? Why?
• How often should we meet and what are the costs? - Is the therapy short-term or long-term?
• What are your goals with your clients and how do you achieve them?
• What will you expect from me?
• Will I have anything to do between sessions?

Second, remember or write down events and feelings you experience between appointments. This will be really helpful to you, your psychologist or therapist. You really don t need a lot of information, just a few lines each on a note pad or in a journal will make a huge difference. A good example is how you re feeling on a particular day, an event that might have affected your mood, your sleeping schedule or any medications, alcohol or drugs you may have used between appointments. Know how much of each and don t cheat the numbers because the only person you will cheating is yourself.

Bring your notes to your appointments. Be confident and feel free to show your notes to your therapist. Keep track of things you are feeling physically, any stomach problems, sleep patterns, aches, pains or any other physical symptoms. Ask family or close friends if they have noticed any changes in your behavior at various times. The chances are good they may have noticed things that you have not. If you do this for a few weeks or longer, you will see patterns in your mood changes that you never noticed before.

Third, if your psychiatrist or doctor wants to prescribe medications always ask your doctor about the side effects, the benefits and proper diet that goes along with them. It is also helpful to do a little research on your own.

You may want to ask your psychiatrist or doctor the following questions:

• Why do I need medicine for my depression?
• What kind of medicine will you prescribe and why?
• What are the side effects and what are the risks?
• How often do I need to take it?
• What do I do if I experience uncomfortable side effects?
• How quickly will it work?
• Will any of my other medications or supplements or my diet affect the medication?

It is important to remember therapists are there to help you, be honest with your feelings and your answers to their questions.